University of California

Government of the United States of America, As Represented by the Secretary of Commerce

Southwest Sciences, Inc.

Micah Ledbetter

Dmitry Budker

Alexander Pines

Shoujun Xu

Svenja Knappe

John Kitching

Louis S Bouchard

David E Wemmer

David Christian Hovde

Igor Mykhaylovych Savukov

Elad Harel

James Higbie

Kasper Jensen

Christian Hilty

Victor Acosta

Vishal K Shah

Andrey Jarmola

David J Michalak

Charles W Crawford

Thomas Lowery

A solid-state gyroscope apparatus based on ensembles of negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond and methods of detection are provided. In one method, rotation of the NVsymmetry axis will induce Berry phase shifts in the NVelectronic ground-state coherences proportional to the solid angle subtended by the symmetry axis. A second method uses a modified Ramsey scheme where Berry phase shifts in theN hyperfine sublevels are employed.

Gyroscopes based on nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond

An embodiment of a method of detecting a J-coupling includes providing a polarized analyte adjacent to a vapor cell of an atomic magnetometer; and measuring one or more J-coupling parameters using the atomic magnetometer. According to an embodiment, measuring the one or more J-coupling parameters includes detecting a magnetic field created by the polarized analyte as the magnetic field evolves under a J-coupling interaction.

Detection of J-coupling using atomic magnetometer

A novel approach to magnetic resonance imaging is disclosed. Blood flowing through a living system is prepolarized, and then encoded. The polarization can be achieved using permanent or superconducting magnets. The polarization may be carried out upstream of the region to be encoded or at the place of encoding. In the case of an MRI of a brain, polarization of flowing blood can be effected by placing a magnet over a section of the body such as the heart upstream of the head. Alternatively, polarization and encoding can be effected at the same location. Detection occurs at a remote location, using a separate detection device such as an optical atomic magnetometer, or an inductive Faraday coil. The detector may be placed on the surface of the skin next to a blood vessel such as a jugular vein carrying blood away from the encoded region.

Magnetic resonance imaging of living systems by remote detection

A method and apparatus are described wherein a micro sample of a fluidic material may be assayed without sample contamination using NMR techniques, in combination with magnetoresistive sensors. The fluidic material to be assayed is first subject to pre-polarization, in one embodiment, by passage through a magnetic field. The magnetization of the fluidic material is then subject to an encoding process, in one embodiment an rf-induced inversion by passage through an adiabatic fast-passage module. Thereafter, the changes in magnetization are detected by a pair of solid-state magnetoresistive sensors arranged in gradiometer mode. Miniaturization is afforded by the close spacing of the various modules.

Detection of magnetic resonance signals using a magnetoresistive sensor

A magnetometer and concomitant magnetometry method comprising emitting light from a light source, via a pulse generator pulsing light from the light source, directing the pulsed light to an atomic chamber, employing a field sensor in the atomic chamber, and via a signal processing module receiving a signal from the field sensor.

Pulsed free induction decay nonlinear magneto-optical rotation apparatus

An integral microfluidic device includes an alkali vapor cell and microfluidic channel, which can be used to detect magnetism for nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Small magnetic fields in the vicinity of the vapor cell can be measured by optically polarizing and probing the spin precession in the small magnetic field. This can then be used to detect the magnetic field of in encoded analyte in the adjacent microfluidic channel. The magnetism in the microfluidic channel can be modulated by applying an appropriate series of radio or audio frequency pulses upstream from the microfluidic chip (the remote detection modality) to yield a sensitive means of detecting NMR and MRI.

Integrated microchip incorporating atomic magnetometer and microfluidic channel for NMR and MRI

Growing community of inventors

Oakland, CA, United States of America

Micah Ledbetter